Just saw a rather depressing notice on the bulletin board at school.

[Brigid]

I've seen these from time to time over the years. To make a long story short, it advertised a benefit to be held for a 16-year-old girl who's been battling bone cancer since she was 11. It's to help pay for -- you guessed it -- medical expenses.

In no other civilized country do we see this!

[LibDemAlways]

1. I take exception to only one thing in your post.

A country that does not recognize access to health care as a basic right of its citizens and that allows the degree of homelessness and poverty that exists here and that permits the rich to grow ever richer while millions struggle to stay afloat can hardly be called "civilized."

[villager]

3. to paraphrase Gandhi, a civilized country in America would be a good idea.

I wonder if we'll ever get one?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Thank you for mentioning this. This sort of thing is begging. That we have to beg to get health-

care, is unconscionable.

[Occulus]

4. Don't worry.

Prosense will be along shortly to tell us all how this cannot possibly have been true.

[gateley]

5. Nah, I think ProSense is as painfully aware of the horror of our "health care" system as

we all are.

[CoffeeCat]

6. Yes, this is happening with two kids...

...in our area. This week, my 6th grade daughter asked for all of our change--because the school is doing this
as a fundraiser for a girl who has cancer. Also, my daughter, who is in 5th grade--asked if she could bring
money--as they are raising money for a little boy who has brain cancer.

This type of fundraising is happening all over, I imagine.

And why are so many children getting cancer? There are many other children in our area with cancer. I guess
that's another question for another thread.

[fascisthunter]

7. those socialists in europe seem to care more about LIFE

than our right wing americans do... actually, it doesn't SEEM, because it has been proven with ACTION, not words. Calling yourself "pro-life" is spiffy when it's political, but in reality it actually means something substantive.

[freshwest]

8. +1. Plus, they don't allow hate radio to set the people against each other.

They learned the hard way.

[npk]

18. Couldn't have said it any better

It's funny how all these pro-life right wingers get so angry over a woman right to have an abortion, but once the child is born, it's basically fuck it let the child die just don't touch my taxes to help pay for health care.

This is an ass-backward country.

[fascisthunter]

19. it's just religious dogma they have attached themselves to to feel righteous

they needed something to lift themselves up, because in reality, they are the most ammoral selfish people living on this earth, and even though they delude themselves into beliving they are honest, they know deep down inside they are hate-filled and embarrassed by it. They need a nanny to tell them what is right and wrong, because they are morally stupid people.

[Brickbat]

9. I live near a small town and we have one of these at least once a month. I'd rather my taxes

go up and have single-payer insurance for all than have to keep buying $5 tickets for shitty spaghetti and then another $10-$50 for bidding on auction items I'm not going to win. Spreading the cost would be better for everyone.

[dflprincess]

10. And the Insurance Profit Protection Act will do nothing to change this

as it will still allow annual out of pocket expenses (in addition to the premium) in the thousands of dollars -- plus all the items the insurance company will decide are not covered expenses.

[a2liberal]

15. Plus it has skewed incentives

With the "Cadillac plan" tax, it actually encourages plans with high deductibles, so in effect you are forced to buy coverage that you can't afford to use, and if by chance you can afford to use it, the insurance company will still deny you benefits when you need them (investigations after-the-fact do you no good when you're dead or sicker because the for-profit company denied you something you needed). Seriously, does any industry other than insurance profit from denying you service? That's practically the definition of something that needs to be provided by government, not forcing citizens into the flawed profit-by-denial model.

[marshall gaines]

11. thank

thank capitalism, repugs and their dem bluedog cronies, along with our for profit health care system/industry. god bless america

[alp227]

12. but Ron Paul thinks the kindness of the community is enough charity for health care.

so that's why we don't need that BIG SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY...the natural kindness of strangers creates a free-market safety net through private charity...doesn't it?

and y'all are right who are complaining about those "pro life" activists. They only care about pre-born kids (as George Carlin said, "pre-born? you're cool. pre-school? you're f-ed!&quot

[AllyCat]

20. I'd love to see a community that has the money to pay for just ONE baby in NICU

with rooms that cost thousands of a dollars a day, tests that increase that cost...and many are there for MONTHS! And there is more than one of them. Or how about the mom that dies during delivery or shortly thereafter...who pays for her kids and their widower father? Guess they should have been "responsible" and planned for that eventuality, huh? And that is just a tiny fraction of what I see. And then of course, there are all the other people who deal with huge health issues, brought to us often by lack of regulation of our food and water supply, unsafe products, motor vehicle accidents, and just plain bad luck. But all those people are supposed to take "personal responsibility".

Once they are out of the womb, they're on their own!

[SHRED]

13. our usa health system...

...is cruel and immoral.

[Rainforestgoddess]

14. We have fundraisers in Canada too

but it's usually for travel expenses for the parents, or wheelchairs, or other expenses that are 'above and beyond' what the medical system pays for.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. I know some people whose son had cancer and who took out a second mortgage

to pay for the uncovered portion of their son's medical treatments.

He's doing fine, but his mother wondered what parents do who don't own a house to take out a second mortgage on.

Hold fundraisers, I guess.

In civilized countries, even those with the proverbial "waiting lists," a child with cancer would have priority.

[Initech]

17. America - One Nation Under Profit

That should be our new official motto.

[just1voice]

21. At Giant food store they broadcast ads asking for money to "support the military"

Let's a person know exactly where their priorities are when a broke little girl is dying from cancer and a $740 billion a year military supposedly needs more money.